Spatial patterns in new firm formation: are cooperatives different?

Panel data on the entry of both worker cooperative and capitalist firms in Spain are used to test the spatial determinants at regional level. Cooperative firms in general are also included in the analysis. We focus on supply, demand and institutional factors, including specific factors of cooperatives as model of analysis. Data are for the period 1995–2009 for NUT-2 regions in Spain, one of the European countries with a more dynamic cooperative sector. Results show the main determinant of the creation of worker cooperatives is the unemployment level, followed by the wage level in the region, the population growth and the emergence of strong cooperative culture. We also find the party in the regional government affects to the creation rate. Compared with capitalist firms, we observe a contrary sense in the influence of unemployment level and a higher importance of the influence of the governing party. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015